Computatok



F. J. PEKAR BARRELS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.2

Frank J. Pekar INVENTOR.

Mai-2a. M king,

June 26, 1951 Filed April l9, 1950 F. J. PEKAR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 6250000 6500000 6750000 'KXDOOO 7250000 7500000 7750000 Frank J. Pekar JNVENTOR.

Patented June 26, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE This invention comprises novel and useful improvements in a computator, and more specifically pertains to an improved construction of a pocket slide rule specifically adapted for the obtaining of prices or other data pertaining to correlated columns of indicia.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a pocket construction of slide rule which shall have an improved construction of a VieWing scanner for obtaining computations from correlated columns of indicia.

A further important object of the invention is to provide an improved pocket slide rule, as set forth in the preceding object, which shall readily admit of the interchangeable use of a series of price or similar scales in conjunction with one or more columns of fixed indicia of a correlated nature.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved construction of pocket slide rule in conformity with the preceding objects in which a slidable scale shall be guidingly and slidingly retained in the base of the device in an improved manner and in an operative position with respect to fixed columns of indicia.

And a very important object of the invention is to provide a pocket slide rule construction, as set forth in the foregoing objects, in which a slidable scanner plate shall be mounted in an improved manner upon the base of the device;

in which the scanner plate shall have inspection openings for each of the columns of correlated data; and wherein the inspection opening of one of the columns of data shall have consecutive portions progressively increasing in width by a single digit.

These, together with various ancillary features and objects of the invention, which will later become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by the present invention, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated by way of example only, in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the invention, a, slidably adjusted position of the movable indicia slide being shown in dotted lines therein;

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 22 of Figure l and illustrating,

in particular, certain details of the movable indicia slide, and its mounting in a guide channel of the device;

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by 5 Claims. (01. 235-89) the section line 3-3 of Figure l and illustrating the manner in which the scanner plate and the movable indicia slide are slidably secured to the base of the device;

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the base, with the movable indicia slide and the scanner plate removed therefrom; and

Figure 5 is a top plan View of the movable indicia slide, parts being broken away.

Referring now more specifically to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views, attention is directed first to Figure 4 wherein it will be seen that the device consists of and includes a base l9 of an suitable material, it being preferred to form the base of an economical or inexpensive material, such as cardboard, sheet metal, plastic, or the like, it being understood that the base may be formed in any desired size in accordance with the use to which the same is to be put. The base it is provided with parallel edges having inturned flanges 12 overlying the same, these flanges constituting retaining guides for a purpose which will later be apparent. At any convenient portion, the base IE! is provided with a recessed or offset portion [4 and a cmnnel i5 is formed in this portion parallel to and closely adjacent to one of the side flanges [2, as will be readily apparent from Figures 3 and 4.

Preferably, the channel IE is provided with a dovetailed side wall construction, the same conveniently comprising V-shaped grooves H3 at each. side thereof. As shown best in Figures 4, the base Ill, at the upper edge of the channel It is provided with an arcuate cut-away portion 20, the outer end of the channel It thus opening upon what may be termed the upper edge of the base 26. At its inner end, the channel I 6 is provided with a bottom wall or stop 22 which is positioned closely adjacent the bottom edge of the base for a purpose which will later be apparent.

Slidably received in the channel it and insertable into or withdrawn endwise therefrom is a slidable indicia slide 24 of any suitable material, and which is provided with beveled edges 25, as will be readily apparent from Figure 3. These beveled edges 26 are snugly and slidably received and guided for longitudinal movement in the V-shaped grooves H3 or dovetailed guides of the walls of the channel It. l'he arrangement is such that the surface of the slide E l is flush with and forms a continuation of the plane 3 of the upper surface of the base Ill, as shown best in Figure 3.

The slide 24 is of such length that when its lower edge is received against the abutment or stop 22 at the inner end of the channel IS, the upper edge will be flush with the base l0, so that the upper edge of the slide 24 may be grasped by virtue of the cut-away portion 2Q of the base so that the slide may be inserted into or Withdrawn from the channel as desired.

Referring next to the base, it will be seen that there are provided a pair of columns of correlated indicia, the same being indicated at ZS and 30. A corresponding column of correlated indicia 32 is formed upon each side of the slide 24, so that when the slide is in its fully inserted position with its lower edge against the shoulder or abutment surface 22, the three columns of indicia 28, as and 32 will be in Side by-side alignment and in a correlated relation.

Slidably received upon the top surface of the base It and overlying the top surface of the slide 24 is a scanning plate 33 which is received between the overlying retaining guide flanges l2. At its upper edge, and in registry with the cutaway portion 2E! in the base iii, the scanning plate 34 is provided with a cut-away portion 38, these two portions 2E and 36 constituting a means by which the upper edge of the movable slide 24 may be gripped for manipulating the same.

Preferably, the scanning plate 3 is of an opaque material of any desired character, and the same is provided with a plurality of inspection openings or Windows, indicated at 33, t3 and 42, which are adapted to respectively register with the indicia of the columns 28, fill and 32.

One of the columns of fixed indicia, such as that at 28,1nay be utilized as a basic or unitary column of indicia, and in the example illustrated in Figure 1 may be used to designate units of a commodity such as barrels of oil or the like, while the column 20 may have a correlated indicia such as gallons for each of the units in column 28. T he inspection window 38 has longitudinally or progressively and consecutively posias shown by the stepped construction in Figure 1. Thus, the uppermost portion will expose a single indicia at the left-hand side of the column 28, and may be employed to designate the units integers of a quantity. Similarly, the second portion may be of sufficient width to accommodate two integers, and as shown by the character X may be used to designate tens digits of a. number. Similarly, the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh consecutive portions bearing the letters C, M, X, C, M, will designate hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, hundred thousands, and millions in digits. Inspection windows ii] and 42 are similarly shaped and of sufficient and increasing widths to exhibit the cor- ;s onding and correlated indicia of columns 39 and32.

As above mentioned, the indicia of the column 39 may exhibit the corresponding value of the indicia of the column 28 in gallons, while the indicia of column 32 may exhibit the price corresponding thereto, the example illustrated being computed on the basis of 12.3 cents per gallon.

As an example of the use of the device, it will e seen from Figure 1 that one barrel or 42 gallons will have a value of $5.16 and 6 mills at the rate of 12 cents and 3 mills per gallon. In

4 tion, such, for example, as 257 barrels at $0.123 per gallon, the following operation is performed:

(1) Adjust the scanning plate so that the inspection opening 38 will have its third portion, that designated by the letter C, at that number in the indicia. column '28 which starts with 250, this being the seventh number from the top of the column. The corresponding reading from the inspection opening 42 will be $1,291.50.

(2) Next place the scanning plate so that the topmost portion or the units digit, that carrying the reference letter U, is placed to expose the first 7 in the column 28, this being the twelfth number from the bottom of that column. The corresponding value in the inspection window 42 will be $36.16, this being the twelfth number from the bottom of column 32. Adding these two values together, it will be seen that the total value of 257 barrels would be $1,327.66.

Where desired, the topmost portion of the inspection opening 42 may be provided with a thin vertical line or hairline M1 to separate the third digit from the fourth, or thus read in mills Where desired.

Obviously, other sets of indicia may be em ployed, properly correlated to obtain the desired computation of difierent factors.

It is particularly contemplated that the slide 24 may be interchanged with a series of other slides to give answers corresponding to different values of price or other correlated indicia of the column 32.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device, together with its advantages, will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will r adily occur to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the foregoing specification and accompanying drawings, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction described, in the accompanying specification and illustrated in the annexed drawings, since all suitable modifications and embodiments may be employed, falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Having disclosed and described the invention, what is claimed as new is as follows: I

1. A computing device comprising a base having parallel sides with inturned overlying flanges constituting guides, a plurality of columns of correlated indicia on said base parallel to said sides, a guide channel on said base, a slide in said guide channel having a column of indi cia correlated to said first-mentioned indicia, a scanner plate slidably mounted upon said overlying flanges and having inspection openings for simultaneously viewing correlated data in each of said columns, said inspection openings being spaced from each other and of different configurations.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said base has a depressed portion, said channel being recessed therein, the sides of said channel being shaped to provide dovetailed grooves, said slide having beveled edges slidably retained in said grooves, and said slide being of substantially less width than said scanner plate.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said base has a depressed portion, said channel being recessed therein, said channel being adjacent a side wall of said base and having its outer end opening upon one edge of the base and having its inner end terminating in a shoulder spaced from the opposite edge of said base.

4. A computing device comprising a base having parallel sides with inturned overlying flanges constituting guides, a plurality of columns of correlated indicia on said base parallel to said sides, a guide channel on said base, a slide in said guide channel having a column of indicia'correlated to said first-mentioned indicia,- a scanner plate slidably mounted upon said overlying flanges and having inspection openings for simultaneously viewing correlated data in each of said columns, said inspection openings being shaped to view consecutive indicia of progressively increasing length.

5. A computing device comprising a base having parallel sides with inturned overlying flanges constituting guides, a plurality of columns of correlated indicia on said base parallel to said sides, a guide channel on said base, a slide in said guide channel having a column of indicia correlated to said first-mentioned indicia, a scanner plate slidably mounted upon said overlying flanges and 6 having inspection openings for simultaneously viewing correlated data in each of said columns, each of said inspection openings being shaped to view consecutive indicia of progressively increasing width, the inspection opening of one indicia column having consecutive portions for viewing indicia increasing in length by a single digit.

FRANK J. PEKAR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,686,843 Burke Oct. 9, 1928 2,485,892 Kirschbaum Oct. 25, 1949 

